Working Dogs
by Greendogg
Summary: Just another day in the neighborhood until a group of mutts turn things upside down for a certain cast of characters. (Rescue Bots story)
1. Friday Morning

**Note: All characters are owned by Hasbro Studios, All other characters, materials and references in this story are the property of Disney, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon and Pixar . While watching TV one day I saw an episode of the Nick Jr Animated series PAW Patrol and noticed some similarities to Transformers: Rescue Bots and well you can guess the rest… Keep in mind nothing's really changed except for one group of characters. Anyhow… read on…**

Friday mornings were like any other day of the week… busy… and the Burns Residence was no exception. It was a cool spring morning in late March. Around nine-thirty, everyone was up and running as usual.

"Here's another one, Cody." said Frankie before she put down a large cardboard box.

"Thanks, Frankie. At this rate, we should be ready for the yard sale tomorrow." Cody replied.

The two of them were currently in the garage sorting through boxes with Dani's help.

"Good!" she exclaimed and wiped a few drops of sweat off her forehead.

"Going through all this stuff is exhausting."

"I'll say, I'm getting…" Blades paused and yawned. "Getting tired just from watching you."

He was stretched out on top of a wooden crate where he had been watching his friends and teammates for the last half hour. Dani raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.

"You're one to talk, Blades. You haven't done a thing." she said.

Blades quickly sat up at that.

"Hey, I helped Boulder bring in that bag of golf clubs." he pointed out.

"He's right about that." Cody agreed.

Dani sighed; she couldn't get around it if she tried.

Lifting her left hand, she rubbed Blades behind his ears. The male retriever's fluffy tail began to wag.

"Hey! Watch it!" said Cody as he moved the tip of Blades' tail out of his face.

"Sorry, Cody," the canine apologized and moved over.

Blades looked like a typical Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. He had semi long orange fur with white markings on his paws, snout, chest, underbelly and the tip of his tail. A long white stripe went from his forehead to the tip of his nose. In kennel club terms, this was a blaze. He also wore an orange and white collar and an I.D. tag. The round silver tag had a helicopter engraved on one side. Duck Tollers, as the dogs are sometimes called, were known for being the smaller member of the retriever family. The breed's size, intelligence, sense of smell, and working drive made them great dogs for search and rescue. Blades' paws were also webbed and he could swim well for a dog his age, weight, and height.

Sitting across from Blades was Boulder, a large Bernese Mountain Dog. His fur was somewhat longer and was tri-colored consisting of black, rust and white markings. Like Blades, Boulder had white markings on his paws snout and the tip of his tail as well as a blaze going from his forehead to the end of his nose. He also had a large patch of white on his chest and underbelly. Rust colored markings were found around his mouth and all four of his ankles. Two small rust spots were also on his face near the eyebrows. Boulder wore a grass green leather collar and sliver tag shaped like a wrench. He was rather large for his breed, weighing a hundred twenty pounds. Originally from the Swiss Alps, Bernese Mountain Dogs had a history of being trained to pull carts. Boulder was no different and regularly helped out by pulling, carrying, and moving heavy loads of wood, rocks and the like.

"I've heard of yard sales before, but never helped out with one." Boulder admitted.

"Me neither. I don't get what the point is, anyway." said Heatwave, who was sitting on a throw rug. Lifting his right hind leg, the liver spotted Dalmatian began scratching his ear.

Unlike other Dalmatians, which typically had black spots, Heatwave's fur was white with liver spots. The tip of his tail was also liver colored. His ears were the same with the exception of a few small patches of white mixed in. Around his neck was a red leather collar with a brass hydrant shaped I.D. tag. Dalmatians were usually energetic and playful, but Heatwave was more reserved and very rarely chased cats or retrieved a stick if Cody threw one while playing fetch with the other mutts.

Cody glanced over at the Dalmatian who was quite obviously bored.

"Yard sales allow people to get rid of stuff they don't want or need." he explained.

"Exactly, plus it clears up space." Frankie added.

"And we make a few bucks on the side. The leak in the roof doesn't pay for itself, ya know." Said Dani.

At that moment, Boulder felt a drop of water land on his head.

"So I see." He replied, glancing at the ceiling.

It had rained recently and in one part of the firehouse, water on the roof had started to drip from the ceiling. Getting up on all fours, Boulder stood and shook himself.

"Kade and Graham should be back soon. They've been putting flyers up all over town." Dani added.

"Great. Well, you guys have fun." said Blades just as he started to walk out of the room, the young retriever felt something catch his tail.

Blades yelped and turned around, noticing Heatwave's left paw firmly holding the tip of his tail.

"Stick around, Blades." said the spotted canine.

"Yeah, we can really use your help." Boulder added.

Blades' ears drooped as he whined.

"Swell," he muttered.

Meanwhile, out in the driveway was another Rescue Mutt. A large German Shepherd. Unlike most Shepherds that were black and tan, this male was black and silver. The breed had three different coat types, smooth, plush, and long hair, this particular dog was of the long hair variety. The breed's trademark black facial mask stretched from around his eyes to the end of his snout and nose. The black saddle marking German Shepherds were known for started at the scruff of his neck and ended near the tip of his bushy wolf like tail. A dark blue leather collar was around his neck with a silver star shaped I.D. tag hanging from it. Currently, his hazel eyes were shut, but not for long. Letting out a loud yawn followed by a stretch, Chase shifted over to his right side as he changed position.

"What a day," he said in a drowsy tone before closing his eyes. His tail wrapped around his back paws and covered his nose. Just as he was about to doze off, Kade's voice rang out.

"Taking a break?" he asked.

Startled, Chase yelped in surprise and quickly sat up, the fur on the back of his head stood on end.

"I'm up, Kade. I-I was just…" the big dog sputtered.

Kade laughed at the mutt's reaction.

"No need to answer that. Later." He said before going into the garage.

"Yo, Graham, hurry up!" Kade yelled.

"I'm coming, sheesh!" Graham replied as he passed by Chase carrying a can of paint and some brushes.

The large German Shepherd watched him for a moment before letting out a loud sigh. After laying back down, Chase shut his eyes once more. A few seconds later, his ears perked up at the sound of thunder. He quickly lifted his head and looked at the sky. Sniffing the air, Chase got up and went into the house; hoping to find a dry and quiet place to finish his nap.

Back in the garage, the others were still sorting through items for the yard sale. At first, Blades was reluctant about helping out, but now he was enjoying himself.

"Hey, look at this old album. We can use this in the yard sale." He said and held up a cardboard case containing a vinyl record between his teeth.

It didn't take long for Dani to recognize what her retriever had gotten a hold of.

"No way! That's my James Brown greatest hits album." she said, removing the record from Blades' jaws.

"Aw," he groaned.

"Don't worry, Blades. I'm sure you'll find something." Cody encouraged him.

"Yeah, but what?" he asked.

"You can start with my old sneakers." Kade offered and tossed a pair of black and white tennis shoes towards Blades.

Glancing at the pair, he frowned.

"Uh, no thanks." said Blades before he backed away.

"Why not? These are Air Jordans." Kade pointed out.

"More like air-them-outside Jordans." said Cody, pointing out that the shoes smelled heavily of sweat.

"I agree," Dani added.

"Same here," Frankie agreed before opening up another box.

"I'll take 'em!" Boulder offered.

"All yours." Said Kade as he handed one of the shoes to the tricolored mountain dog.

"Thanks." Boulder barked before grabbing one of the Air Jordons.

He then curled up in a corner and began to chew on the shoe.

Everyone else with the exception of Kade looked at Boulder as if he was… crazy.

Heatwave shuddered.

While he enjoyed chewing on bones and rawhide sticks, Heatwave never understood what his teammate found so interesting about gnawing on old shoes.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." said Graham, who swallowed hard at the sight of Boulder chewing on the old Air Jordan with drool dripping down the sides of his mouth.

Later that day…

"Ok guys, let's take five." Dani announced.

Everyone in the room replied with sighs of relief.

"Phew!" said Blades before he collapsed on the floor.

"Good!" Frankie sighed.

She paused when she heard the sound of someone snoring.

"Looks like Heatwave's already got a head start."

Dani, Cody and the others glanced in the direction where Frankie was pointing. On the opposite end of the room, the spotted canine in question was stretched out on the crate Blades had been resting on earlier. Laying on his back was Heatwave who was asleep and snoring loudly. His friends and teammates couldn't help but laugh.

Heatwave snorted as he lifted his head.

"What? I…" he sputtered.

"Looks like you drifted off again." Kade pointed out.

Heatwave blinked.

"I did, huh?"

He then let out a yawn; all forty-two of his canine teeth were fully exposed.

"Can't help it, I've been working like a dog all week." Heatwave confessed.

Kade chuckled at his Rescue Mutt's comment.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"We all have." Cody added.

"I just hope we don't have to do much at this yard sale." Said Heatwave.

He then flexed his paws.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not getting any younger."

"Uh…" Frankie started to say.

"Yep," said Blades.

"We know." Dani finished.

Heatwave rolled his yellow eyes and laid back. Exhaling loudly, he didn't say anything and decided to go back to sleep. No sooner did he relax, an alarm over head blared loudly.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up.

Blades yelped in surprise.

"Where's the fire?" he asked.

"Chill, Blades. I don't think it's a fire." Dani assured him.

"It's coming from one of the monitors." Said Heatwave who had woken up from the noise. He got up and went into another room and pressed a green button on the control panel. Blades and Boulder weren't far behind. It didn't take long for the signal to go through. On the screen was a large black and tan dog. It was a Tibetan Mastiff wearing a blue and red collar and matching harness.

"Optimus Prime?" Heatwave asked, raising an eyebrow.

There was one time where the large canine had been accidently called Optimutts, but the whole thing was quickly sorted out.

"Heatwave?" the Tibetan Mastiff replied.

"It's me." The liver spotted Dalmatian answered.

"Something wrong?" Blades asked.

"Yeah, we didn't expect you to call so soon." Said Boulder.

"Boulder's right, what's going on?" Heatwave asked.

"I called because there's a…" Optimus was cut off when a black and silver German shepherd ran into the room.

"I came as soon as I could." Said Chase who stopped to pant.

He then noticed Boulder and the others frowning at him. Lowering his ears he looked rather puzzled.

"What?"

"As I was saying…" Optimus started, continuing the conversation.

"Rescue Mutts, I have an important mission for you."

"I thought our current mission was important." Blades whispered.

"Shh," said Boulder.

"Go on," Heatwave insisted.

Optimus Prime sat back on his haunches, pulling his tail closer to his body.

"Recently, I found another group of Mutts who currently have no place to go." He explained.

Heatwave tilted his head, obviously confused.

"And?"

"Are you all sitting down?" Optimus asked.

Blades, Boulder, and the others sat down at that.

"We are now," Heatwave answered.

"Anyway… until I am able to find them a permanent home, they will be staying with you." Optimus announced.

The Rescue Mutts' jaws dropped.

Heatwave blinked twice. Did he hear what he thought he just heard?

"What?" he asked.

"I will explain when I arrive tomorrow." Said Optimus.

Heatwave quickly got up.

"Wait!" he barked raising his right paw.

"What are these Mutts like?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Heatwave. I must go prepare the team for the long journey." said Optimus.

"What about…?" Heatwave sputtered, but the call ended before he could finish his sentence.

The only thing that could be heard in the room was static.

"So much for that." said Heatwave. He turned around and saw Cody enter the room.

"Hey!" he called out. "You won't believe what Graham found that we can sell at the yard sale… it's a…" Cody stopped short and looked around.

"Did I miss something?"

(Some of the lyrics in the theme song have been changed to fit the story.)

_"__A routine stroll with four Mutts in stasis,_

_Years later, awoke in the strangest of places._

_Earth was their home now, and in addition,_

_Optimus Prime made a decision:_

_'Learn from the humans, help and protect,_

_Live in their world, earn their respect._

_A family of heroes will be your allies,_

_To others remain canines in disguise!'_

_Rescue Mutts, roll to the rescue!_

_Humans in need, heroes indeed!_

_Rescue Mutts, roll to the rescue,_

_Rescue… Mutts!_

_With Cody to guide them and show them the way,_

_Rescue Mutts will be saving the day._

_Rescue Mutts, roll to the rescue,_

_Rescue Mutts!"_

What had started off as a rather quiet Friday morning turned out to be the start of one big misadventure.

**MORE TO COME…**

**And that's it for chapter one. Instead of being rescue bots, they're… rescue mutts! Again, got the idea after watching an episode of Nick Jr's PAW Patrol. If anyone is unfamiliar with Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Tibetan Mastiffs, I suggest looking up all three on Wikipedia. Most Dalmatians people have seen are usually white with black spots but they can have other colors such as orange, lemon, brindle, blue, black & tan, liver, tricolor and sable. Albino and solid white are extremely rare but there are documented cases of them. Anyway… chapter two is being worked on and it'll probably be up in a week or two. So stay tuned.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	2. Meeting the Mutts

**And here's chapter 2… there's a bit of a turning point in this part and some new characters. Here's basically who they'd be voiced by if they were actually in the series.**

**Characters introduced:**

**Firethorn-(voiced by: Janet Jackson)**

**Gemma- (voiced by: Octavia Spencer)**

**Kailani-(voiced by: Golden Brooks)**

**Reese-(voiced by: Katey Sagal)**

**Anyway, on with the story.**

"Hello? Anybody home?" Cody called, waving his hand in front of Heatwave's eyes. There was a blank expression on the canine's face.

After snapping out of it, Boulder broke the silence.

"Sorry Cody, we were in shock."

"About what?" he asked.

"Optimus Prime called and…" Heatwave trailed off.

"It's better if we tell everyone at the same time."

Cody nodded.

"Got 'cha."

A short time later, after Frankie had gone home, Dani, Kade, Graham and Charlie had all gathered in the garage.

"What's going on?" Dani asked.

"Yeah, I was in the middle of watching America's Funniest Home Videos." Said Kade.

"Relax, Kade I don't think this is gonna take long." Graham assured him.

"Graham's right, it's short." Said Heatwave.

"So, what is it?" Cody asked, eager to hear what Heatwave had to say.

The liver and white dog sat up and looked at the others.

"The reason Optimus called is because… he found another group of mutts, they have no other place to go at the moment so… they're coming here." Heatwave explained.

Dani and everyone else froze at hearing the news. She was the first one to speak up.

"Seriously?"

"Whoa!" Kade exclaimed.

"No way," said Graham.

"It's true." Heatwave insisted.

"Cool! So, when do we get to meet them?" Cody asked.

"They're gonna be here tomorrow!" Blades answered.

Heatwave glanced at him.

"Blades!"

The retriever's ears drooped.

"Sorry," he apologized.

"Well, we better get things ready." Said Charlie.

"Yeah," Kade agreed.

"Any idea what these mutts are like?" Cody asked.

Heatwave flinched.

"We didn't get that far."

"Yeah, but it'll be cool to meet 'em." Blades pointed out.

"I agree, I'm excited about having some other mutts around." Boulder admitted with his tail wagging rapidly.

"As am I, it's been a long time since we have seen others of our kind." Chase added.

"If ya don't count Optimus and Bumblebee." Said Kade.

"This ought to be good." Graham said with a smile.

"You kidding? This is awesome news!" Cody exclaimed.

"We better get moving, tomorrow will be here before we know it." Dani pointed out.

And with that, everyone went off to prepare for the new mutts' arrival.

Just as Cody was about to walk out, he noticed Heatwave sitting in front of the computer monitor, staring at the screen.

"You ok, Heatwave?" Cody asked.

Heatwave's ears perked up before he turned to face the boy.

"Yeah, you go on. I'll catch up."

Cody smiled briefly.

"'Kay'" he replied before leaving the room.

Heatwave sat there for a moment, the announcement was still a bit of a shock to him.

"Why?" he asked with a sigh and lowered his head.

That night, Heatwave had gone up to the roof of the firehouse. Since receiving the call, he hadn't spoken to anyone that much. It was a rather clear night, despite a few scattered clouds some stars could be seen. The moon was currently half full. At the moment, he was so caught up in staring at the night sky that he didn't even notice a certain young retriever had climbed up to the roof. Blades normally didn't come up here on his own but when he noticed Heatwave was missing, the rescue mutt decided to investigate.

"Heatwave?" he said.

When the Dalmatian didn't reply, Blades let out a loud bark. It didn't take long for Heatwave to turn around.

"Oh! it's you, Blades." He said.

The rescue mutt stepped forward but kept his distance from the edge of the roof.

"What are you doin' up here? You're missing out. It's a new episode of 'What would you do?'"

On most Friday nights, the Burns would often watch TV after dinner. It was one of the things Blades looked forward to. He and Boulder had taken a liking to television and movies, What would you do? was one of his favorites.

"I'm just thinking… Optimus didn't really tell us anything about this other group and now they're coming here." Said Heatwave.

Blades looked rather surprised and tilted his head.

"So what? It'll be great having some other mutts around…don't sweat it." He said.

"We're Canis-tronians, Blades. We don't sweat." Heatwave replied.

"Through our paws we do." Blades answered, raising his right front paw to make a point.

"True," said Heatwave.

"Look, I'm gonna go back in and catch the rest of the show. You comin'?" Blades asked after a brief moment of silence.

"I'll be there in a minute. Just make sure Boulder doesn't take my spot." Heatwave answered.

"Don't have to, you're covered with them." Blades joked.

At that moment, the two canines laughed.

"Ok, I'm gone." Said Blades before he darted down the stairs.

Exhaling loudly, Heatwave looked at the moon once more. After a moment, he got up and went inside. For the most part on Saturday mornings everyone slept in, with the exception of Cody, Blades and Boulder who often sat on the couch to watch cartoons. This time however, the room was quiet.

"Heatwave… Heatwave, wake up!" Boulder barked.

The spotted dog slowly opened his eyes and the next thing he knew he was face-to-face with a large tricolored canine.

"Boulder? What time is it?" Heatwave asked with a yawn.

"Ten after six," Boulder replied.

Taking his left front paw, Heatwave proceeded to rub the sleep out of his yellow eyes.

"You do realize it's Saturday, don't you?" he said in a somewhat drowsy tone.

"Sure I do, but aren't you forgetting something?" Boulder continued.

"Like what?" Heatwave asked.

Boulder nipped a hang nail on his front right paw before he spoke.

"Oh, I don't know… like a certain group of mutts coming today."

At that moment, Heatwave quickly sat up, looking wide awake.

The liver and white Dalmatian yelped in surprise.

"I forgot!"

Just as he was about run, Boulder placed his left front paw on his leader's shoulder.

"Whoa! Relax, it's still early." He assured Heatwave.

"You're right." The Dalmatian agreed.

"I should freshen up, though." He said as glanced at his spotted coat.

"And fix up your fur, don't want to look scruffy." Boulder suggested before he started walking away.

Heatwave raised an eyebrow.

"Since when have I looked scruffy?"

Boulder paused and turned around, looking back at Heatwave.

He then shrugged his shoulders.

"Can't remember." Was Boulder's reply before he continued on his way.

A short time later, the Rescue Mutts had all gathered in the garage. Graham, Cody and the rest of the Burns family were still getting ready.

Blades was stretched out on his back, staring at the ceiling. It was obvious he was bored. Watching Saturday morning cartoons with Cody and Boulder was always enjoyable; being in the garage with nothing to do was the total opposite.

The young retriever let out a growl of frustration.

"When are they gonna get here? The suspense is killing me!"

"Take it easy, Blades we'll find out… eventually." Said Boulder.

Blades glanced at the clock on the wall, it was currently nine-fifteen. Wanting to make a good first impression, Blades, Boulder and the other mutts had been given baths. Their fur had also been brushed. Dani and Cody had even trimmed their claws. Seeing that they didn't have anything better to do, Blades curled up in a corner.

"Well, when you do hear something, wake me up." He said.

Placing his head between his paws, Blades closed his eyes but only for a few seconds. An alarm started to blare.  
"What now?" Blades asked as he sat up.

"Better check," said Heatwave, he stepped out and went up to one of the monitors. After pressing the green button on the control panel, he waited.

Blades, Boulder and Chase came in and sat down next to Heatwave.

"Hello?" he said.

Within a few seconds, the signal came through.

"Heatwave, are you there?" asked a familiar voice.

"Yes," the Dalmatian barked.

"Good, I can hear you but your signal is weak." Said Optimus whose face looked somewhat awkward on the screen.

"We've had some rain recently; it's caused problems all over the island." Heatwave explained.

Lately, the wind and lightning from a recent thunderstorm resulted in many residents having problems with their satellite TV and internet service. On one side of the island near Doc Greene's lab, some of his neighbors had lost power or phone lines that were down.

"I see," said Optimus.

"Well, I want you to know that I will be there in one hour. There's something you should know about this new group, they're… different."

"Different like how?" Heatwave asked.

"For one thing they're…" before Optimus could finish his sentence the video call dropped out for a moment.

"Sorry Optimus, we missed that last part." Heatwave apologized.

The Tibetan mastiff frowned.

"About what?"

"The other mutts being different." Said Blades.

"Oh, well they are." Optimus replied.

"In a good way, right?" Boulder asked nervously.

Optimus chuckled and grinned at the other big dog.

"Yes, Boulder."

He looked away for a moment, realizing what time it was.

"I must go."

"We'll be here." Said Heatwave.

"I look forward to seeing you, good day." Optimus said before he hung up.

Heatwave sat back and looked at his teammates.

"We got one hour."

"Yeah," Blades sighed.

Just then he sniffed the air. The orange and white retriever's nostril's flared and his whiskers twitched. Blades recognized that scent anywhere. It was the smell of apple wood smoked bacon. It wasn't long before the other mutts caught on.

"Last one there sleeps outside." Said Blades before he darted out of the room.

"Not this time!" Boulder called out before he chased after the other dog.

Both Heatwave and Chase sat there looking rather dumbfounded.

"I don't get it," said Chase.

"You know Blades. I think somebody forgot to tell him he's not a pup anymore." Heatwave half joked.

Chase snickered, this was one of those moments where he rarely laughed at something.

"Don't say anything," Heatwave told him before walking out of the room.

_One hour later…_

Dani, Kade, Graham and Cody had put the finishing touches on setting things up to accommodate the group of mutts arriving that day. Now the work was done, the four went out to the driveway to wait. It was a rather clear morning. Clouds from the storm that had hit recently, had now broken up. The Burns family and those participating in the community yard sale, had hoped the rain would stop for the weekend. They were all glad to find out that another storm from the coast wouldn't be arriving until next week. This not only gave them time to get the yard sale squared away but also the last thing they wanted was for the new mutts to be soaking wet on their first day.

"And we're done," Dani announced.

"Yep, everything's ready for our guests." Said Graham.

"Nice, I was beginning to think that…" Kade trailed off when noticed something had been tied to the mailbox.

"What's up with the balloons?" he asked.

Tied to the mailbox were five balloons in pastel colors consisting of green, blue, orange, pink and lilac.

"Blades' idea, though I think it's a bit much." Said Dani.

No sooner did she finish her sentence the pink balloon popped, reducing them to four.

"Yeah," Kade agreed, regarding the balloons.

"Hey guys, check this out." Blades barked.

The helium tank was still in the driveway from when Dani had blown up the balloons. Wrapping his jaws around the knob, Blades released some of the helium, inhaling it in the process.

"How cool is this?" he asked in a high pitched voice.

Kade normally tried to keep a straight face in certain scenarios but this was too much. He laughed at hearing Blades' voice.

"You sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks!"

It didn't take long before he and Cody were in stitches.

"This is pretty funny." Said Graham, who was trying his hardest not to laugh.

Dani had a difficult time as well and couldn't help but giggle at Blades' latest comedic act.

"Quit fooling around, Blades these new mutts are going to be here any minute, plus the yard sale starts at noon." She said before picking up the helium tank and heading towards the garage.

"Now c'mon."

Blades didn't say anything and simply followed his human, passing by his teammates. While Boulder and Chase found the helium joke to be hilarious, Heatwave wasn't keen on it.

"I hope that helium wears off." He said to Boulder.

The last thing he wanted was for someone to embarrass him in front of the new group mutts that they'd be meeting soon. After half an hour of waiting, everyone was starting to get concerned. Graham looked at his watch, it was now ten-thirty.

"What's taking them?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I thought they'd be here by now." Said Kade who was leaning against the mailbox.

Everyone looked up when Chief Burns stepped out from the garage.

"Just got word that Optimus is on the next ferry, there was a delay on the mainland." He explained.

Everyone else let out a sigh of relief.

"I hope those mutts don't expect us to wait on them hand and foot." Said Kade.

"Kade!" Dani exclaimed.

"I'm just saying, we all pull our own weight around here. I'm not about to be Benson the butler." Kade replied.

"You look more like Mr. French to me." Graham joked.

"Ya know something, Graham? I…" before Kade could finish his sentence, Dani got between the two of them.

"Knock it off, guys."

Just them they were alerted by a faint buzz. Pulling his iPhone out of his shirt pocket, Chief Burns looked at the screen.

"It's a text from Captain Shaw, the ferry just docked."

"All right! Let's go!" said Cody.

The mutts barked cheerfully and followed, except for a certain Dalmatian.

"Ya ready, Heatwave?" Cody asked, looking back at the spotted dog.

Heatwave sighed.

"As I'll ever be." Was his reply before he got up.

A short time later, the Burns family and Rescue Mutts arrived at the docks. Captain Shaw had unloaded a large wooden crate with several holes that had been drilled into it. On one side it was marked 'Live Animals'.

"I am so pumped up!" Cody exclaimed, as they approached the ferry.

"We are too, little brother." Dani said with a smile.

After signing a release form, Chief Burns then handed the clipboard and pen back to Captain Shaw.

"Here you are, Shaw." He said.

"How was the trip?"

"Just fine, Charlie. Well, they're all yours." Shaw replied before pointing at the crate.

"Thanks for getting these guys here safe and sound." Said Charlie.

"Oh, it was no problem." Shaw said before he snickered.

Everyone else frowned at this. 

"What's so funny?" Charlie asked.

"You don't know?" Shaw answered. He glanced at the crate one last before he walked away, still laughing. At that point, everyone was confused, what was that about?

"I didn't get that." Said Dani.

"Yeah, what was Captain Shaw laughing about?" Cody asked as he scratched his head.

"I don't know but whatever it is, it has something to do with this crate." Said Charlie.

He then turned to Kade.

"Kade, you brought the crowbar, right?"

"Sure did," the red head replied as he held it up.

"All right, here goes nothing." Said Charlie.

Placing the crowbar on the edge of the crate he and Kade started to pry it open. Shortly after, the two stepped aside. The group was quickly alerted by loud and familiar bark.

"I know that bark," said Cody, recognizing the deep voice Tibetan Mastiffs were famous for.

Stepping out of the crate was a large black and tan dog. His muscular body and size was easily noticed. The Tibetan Mastiff was an old breed originally used to protect livestock in the Himalayas and Tibet. Known for their massive size, loud bark and protective nature. The dog had semi long fur, a bushy tail that curled over his lower back and yellow eyes.

"It's you!" Cody exclaimed.

"Welcome back," said Heatwave.

The Tibetan mastiff smiled, his tail slightly wagging.

"Thank you."

"It's great to see you again," said Charlie.

"Yeah, we've been busy getting things set up for ya," Graham explained.

"That is very kind of you, Graham. I'm sure these four will appreciate your hospitality." Said Optimus.

"So…" Kade started to say.

"Where are they?" Dani asked.

"One moment," said Optimus, he turned around looking at the crate.

"You can step out now."

One by one four dogs came out of the crate. The first was a Dalmatian, the second a Flat coated retriever, the third and fourth dogs were a St. Bernard and German shepherd.

"Check it out." Said Cody.

"Yeah," was Dani's reply.

The four new mutts began wagging their tails. It was easy to see they were excited.

"What do you think, Heatwave?" Kade asked.

The Dalmatian didn't reply, while they had been eager to meet the other mutts, having seen them face to face, Heatwave and the others were now surprisingly apprehensive of the whole thing.

"Come 'on, guys." Graham said, trying to encourage the Rescue Mutts to meet the new group of dogs. Heatwave, Blades, Boulder and Chase slowly approached the others.

"Say hello." Said Cody.

There was an awkward silence between the two groups of mutts, the only sound that could be heard was a cricket chirping somewhere on the dock. Letting out a loud sigh, Optimus got between Heatwave and the other dogs. Nobody had said anything. In an effort to get the ball rolling, Optimus spoke up.

"Well, go ahead."

Blades was the first to speak, he took a step closer to the other group, he looked at them nervously and smiled.

"Uh, hi… nice to meet you guys." He said.

The other mutts looked at each other then at Blades, they were obviously shocked. The Dalmatian in the group went up to Blades and spoke.

"What do you mean guys, Shorty? We're females!" she barked.

Blades quickly took a step back, completely stunned and nervous.

"You're what?!" Heatwave exclaimed.

"Now we know why Captain Shaw was laughing." Said Dani, who had been watching the whole thing.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be a scream." Kade agreed, trying not to laugh.

Graham pushed up his glasses which had slid down the bridge of his nose.

"Didn't' see that coming."

"Nope," was all Cody could say.

It all made sense why Shaw had laughed at the 'guys' comment, the four new mutts were all females. Still trying to get over the shock, Heatwave approached Optimus.

"Optimus, who are these… ladies?" the Dalmatian asked.

"This is the team I had been telling you about." The Tibetan mastiff answered.

He then turned to the other dogs.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?"

The Flat-Coated Retriever decided to go first, letting out a friendly bark, she came forward. Her jet black fur coat was slightly longer than Blades. The female retriever also had light blue eyes and wore a sky blue collar with a stainless steel tag that was in the shape of a teardrop. She approached Blades, with her tail wagging rapidly.

"I'm Kailani." She said.

The other dog, a St. Bernard went next. She was slightly smaller than Boulder. Most St. Bernards had either a smooth or rough coat, hers was smooth. The large dog's ears were solid black; she also had patches of it over her eyes. The rest of her coat was tan and white. Like Boulder she had a blaze that stretched from her forehead, down the bridge of her nose and ending at her snout. Around her neck was a violet collar that had a square rose gold colored tag. In the center of the tag was a white quartz crystal. The small stone looked like it had been cut to fit the tag and glistened in the sunlight.

The female St. Bernard smiled at Boulder. Her honey brown eyes looked at him curiously.

"Name's Gemma," she said with a light southern accent.

Another dog came up behind Gemma. The German shepherd was cream colored with liver markings. Her coat was a shorter length than Chase and appeared to be the plush variety that was more common with members of her breed. She had a rather lean body and large ears. Her yellow collar was mostly covered up by her fur, though her bronze crescent moon shaped tag was still visible. She blinked her amber eyes before she spoke.

"Reese," she barked, introducing herself.

"And this is…" Kailani was cut off.

"I can speak for myself, Kai." The Dalmatian said, holding up her right front paw.

Out of all the dogs in the group she seemed to stand out the most. Unlike most Dalmatians who had short fur, hers was longer. Heatwave had heard of this variety but had only seen one once. Unlike him, her spots were ebony black along with the tip of her tail, left ear and a large patch on her left eye. The smaller spots on her cheeks and snout resembled freckles.

Hanging from the purple collar she wore was a silver bone shaped tag and something else. Heatwave immediately recognized the small black object as a piece of meteor rock. The stone had a silver ring pierced into it and was clasped onto the collar. Heatwave snapped out of his thought when the female approached him. Her turquoise blue eyes looking at his yellow ones.

"I'm Firethorn and you are?"

"Heatwave," he replied.

"The name is Boulder," the Bernese Mountain dog said to her.

"Chase," the black and silver shepherd barked.

"I'm Blades," replied the young retriever with his tail wagging.

"I apologize for the shock." Said Optimus.

"It's ok, really; just didn't expect an all-female group, we assumed…" Charlie trailed off.

"No need to explain, I tried to tell Heatwave but there were some technical difficulties," Optimus continued.

"Noted," said Charlie.

Kade decided to get a closer look at the new dogs; they all seemed to be friendly.

"So, you guys… I mean, girls, are Rescue Mutts too?" he asked.

"In a way," Gemma answered.

"We're more of a freelance group," Kailani explained.

Heatwave tilted his head slightly.

"Who's the leader?" he asked.

"That'd be me, I'm the alpha female." Firethorn answered.

"You most certainly are," Heatwave muttered.

Firethorn raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind," said Heatwave as he shook his head.

_Later that day…_

"Here we are," Cody announced, getting out of the fire truck.

"Yep, home sweet home." Graham sighed.

Gemma and the other dogs checked their new surroundings, still uncertain about what to make of it.

"This is…" Gemma stopped short.

"Different," Firethorn finished.

"I could say the same about this lot." Heatwave muttered.

"Heatwave, please be nice they just got here." Said Cody.

"I'll try," the Dalmatian sighed.

Cody smiled.

"Thanks,"

He then rubbed Heatwave behind the ears. As they walked up the driveway, Kailani and Blades seemed to be having a conversation. Despite having just met, the two seemed to be getting along rather well.

"So, you guys live here?" she asked.

"Sure do." Blades answered.

"Huh, I've never been in a house before." Kailani admitted.

Blades stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

"Really?"

"None of us have humans, We've been strays pretty much our whole lives." Kailani explained.

"Geez, you really missed out." Said Blades who felt sorry for Kai and her friends.

"Nah, I'm ok with it, though I've always wondered what it's like to be a pet." Kailani continued.

"Well, technically, we've been trained to be search and rescue dogs, but Dani treats me no different than a pet." Said Blades.

Kailani raised an eyebrow. 

"And Dani is?"

"She's my human, c'mon I'll introduce you." Blades offered, before trotting up the driveway with the other retriever not far behind. Having just arrived on the island, Kailani and the other mutts were still getting to know everyone. Human and canine alike. Once in the garage, both parties got a chance to relax and interact with one another.

"Looks like everyone's settled in." said Graham who had been observing Gemma, Kailani and the others.

"Yeah, better round up the others, we need to talk." Charlie pointed out.

"'Kay," was Graham's reply, he then turned to Dani, Kade and Cody.

"Guys, family meeting, now."

"Right," the trio replied and quickly followed.

"Hey, where ya goin'?" Blades asked.

"Family meeting, shouldn't take long." Cody answered.

"You guys stick around and chat." Dani suggested.

"Dani's right, try getting to know each other better." Cody agreed.

"But…" Heatwave sputtered, the next thing he heard was the door slam.

Letting out a sigh he walked back over to the other dogs and sat down. With the Burns and Optimus Prime out of the room, it was just him, his teammates and Firethorn's group. All eight dogs sat across from each other, males on one side, females on the other. In effort to break the silence, Boulder decided to start a conversation.

"So, what's the story on you girls?"

"Not much, we've been strays a long time… next question." Firethorn answered.

Heatwave was taken aback by Firethorn's lack of explanation but decided hold off asking more about her background.

"You said you were a freelance team."

"Yes, we take on requests for jobs." Gemma answered.

Heatwave paused to scratch his right ear, causing his tag to rattle in the process. After a moment he stopped.

"And what is it you do, exactly?"

"I do water rescue." Said Kailani.

Blades' ears perked up.

"Get out! So have I."

"Problem is getting him to jump out of a helicopter to do it." Said Boulder.

"Did you have to say that, Boulder?" Blades asked, looking rather embarrassed.

"You, uh… don't like heights?" Kailani asked.

Blades simply shook his head in reply.

"Me neither," Kai confessed.

"I'm in construction; I can pull, lift and carry three-hundred pounds of various materials." Gemma explained.

"Same here," said Boulder.

Gemma glanced at him, she seemed eager to know more.

"Is that right?" she asked.

Boulder nodded.

"Well, I'll be," Gemma said with a smile.

It was obvious that Blades, Kailani, Boulder and Gemma were becoming fast friends. Their happy facial expressions and wagging tails made it rather obvious.

"I'm… a detective mostly, before that I worked at an airport in Seattle." Reese explained.

Heatwave snorted, in an effort to keep from laughing. Everyone in the room turned around giving him odd looks.

"Sorry," he apologized, lowering his ears.

"You sniff… airline luggage? That's really…" Boulder was cut off.

"Boring," Heatwave said.

"You think so? Can you identify sixty-five different scents?" Reese asked.

Heatwave froze at hearing the question.

"Nope," was his reply as he looked at the floor.

Chase's ears perked up.

"That's impressive." He said.

"All right, I'm done, spotlight's on you, Thorn." Reese told her, nudging the other dog's right shoulder with her snout.

"I'm a search and rescue dog," said Firethorn.

The tip of Blades' tail slightly twitched.

"So are we," he replied.

"I meant I go into buildings and houses after natural disasters," Firethorn explained.

"Wow, that's very brave of you." Said Boulder.

Firethorn grinned sheepishly, looking at him as if she was blushing.

"Thank you,"

"No problem," Boulder said with a smile.

"Can we ask you something?" Gemma asked.

"Ask away," Blades answered.

"How'd you end up on a rock like this?" Gemma continued.

Heatwave and the other mutts looked at each other, frowning. None of them had been too comfortable sharing their story with those they didn't know well.

"Never mind, don't answer that." Said Kailani.

Meanwhile, the Burns family meeting had started to wind down. Optimus filled them in the details regarding Firethorn and her teammates.

"Wow, that's so sad." Dani admitted after Optimus finished the story.

"Poor Firethorn," said Cody.

"How's she doing?" Graham asked.

Optimus lowered his head,

"She… has her moments, but just give her some time."

"Should we tell the guys?" Kade asked, regarding the Rescue Mutts.

"I will give them an explanation, however, if Firethorn chooses to share that information, it'll be up to her." Optimus answered.

"So, don't say anything." Kade concluded.

Optimus nodded.

"Word to big bird," said Kade, as he zipped his lips.

_Moments later…_

Blades perked up at the sound of the door opening.

"How'd it go in there?" he asked.

"Ok, Optimus has something he wants to tell you." Cody answered.

He glanced at Firethorn and her team for a moment.

"Wanna take a tour of the fire house?" he asked.

The four dogs simply shrugged in reply, not having anything better to do.

"C'mon." said Cody, leading the other group out of the room.

Once they were alone, Heatwave took the opportunity to speak up.

"Optimus, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Certainly." The black and tan mastiff replied.

Heatwave turned to his teammates for a minute.

"Excuse us," he said before stepping outside with Optimus not far behind.

"You told me this team was different,"

"Yes, and what is your point?" Optimus asked.

Heatwave's eyes widened.

"My point? You didn't say anything about them being females."

"Actually, I did but the call dropped out." Said Optimus.

It didn't take long before it all came back to Heatwave.

"So, that was the part we missed." He concluded.

"Correct," Optimus replied.

Heatwave felt rather uneasy, he had been around females before and had talked with them, including Arcee but he wasn't sure about four of them staying under the same roof as him.

"No offense, Optimus; I've been taught to respect femmes but that Firethorn…" Heatwave was cut off.

"Give her a chance, this is her first time here… just because she and the others are females doesn't mean you can't get along." Said Optimus.

Heatwave sighed.

"I suppose,"

"I also expect you to treat Firethorn and her teammates with kindness and respect, is that clear?" Optimus asked.

"Crystal," Heatwave answered and swallowed hard.

He could tell that Optimus meant what he said and there was no point in trying to the conversation. Although he did have a dominant side, Heatwave knew when to be submissive and this was one of those times.

"Good, now then… there's something you and the others should know." Said Optimus.

"Follow me,"

Once back indoors, Heatwave saw that his team was still there.

"So, where is everybody?" he asked.

"Cody's showing the girls around," Boulder answered as he stood up and stretched.

"Dani and the others are loading stuff in the truck for the yard sale." Said Blades.

He tilted his head, noticing something.

"Why?"

"Rescue Mutts, gather 'round, there is something I need to tell you." Optimus announced.

The four of them looked at each other before they all came forward and sat down.

"We're all here, Optimus." Said Boulder.

"And as the humans say, all ears." Chase added.

"Good, now… you're all probably wondering how I found Firethorn and her team." Said Optimus.

Heatwave's ears perked up slightly.

"That question did cross my mind," he confessed.

"I thought we were the only mutts here, besides your group of course."

"As did I, though apparently, there were more of us Auto-dogs that came here from Canis-Tron than previously thought." Said Optimus.

"Yeah, seems like only six months ago we heard your team had found Elita." Boulder added.

"It was six months ago," Blades reminded him.

"Oh right…" said Boulder.

He chuckled at the thought.

"Time flies,"

Optimus smiled,

"That it does, also around that time my team found Chromia and many others. Getting back to what I was saying… it was two weeks ago that I found Firethorn's group."

(Flashback begins)

_My team was returning from Seattle, we had received word from Wheeljack that about an external Canis-Tronian hard drive that was somehow shipped to Microsoft. Nothing turned up. Ratchet, Arcee and Bumblebee went on ahead while Bulkhead and I stayed to talk with Wheeljack. He was actually looking to relocate so, I offered him a place to say until he could get in touch with Flare-Up and Tailgate. They were both in California at the time. _

_Not wanting to impose, he turned down my offer, though having someone take up residence at our place was the least of our problems…"_

"What happened next?" Blades asked, sounding like a kid listening to a story at summer camp.

"Can I finish, please?" Optimus replied.

"Sorry," Blades apologized.

"Anyway…" Optimus continued.

_Bulkhead and I were taking a short cut through an old train yard, it might not have been the best place to walk at night but our conversation with Wheeljack was longer than we intended._

As the two walked through the train yard, Bulkhead felt uneasy. It was dark, almost pitch black with the exception of the lights from down town Seattle and nearby houses. A few stars could also been seen overhead as well as the moon which was currently in a waning gibbous phase. Although the train yard was still used, the section, Optimus and Bulkhead were currently in had several old box cars and engines that had been parked on a few rows of tracks. Some of the cars were rusty after years if use and were also empty. Bulkhead had been quiet for the longest but after walking in the dark for a while, it was getting to him.

"I don't know about this place, Optimus; it's freakin' me out." He admitted.

Despite being a rather large gray and white Alaskan Malamute, Bulkhead was still afraid of the dark.

"Relax, Bulkhead, we'll be fine. This is the fastest way home." Optimus assured him.

"Yeah, sure easy for you to say. A dog catcher will think twice about throwing a catch pole over a mastiff, me on the other hand…" Bulkhead was then cut off.

"Shh," Optimus whispered.

"What?" Bulkhead asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Quiet," said Optimus.

"Oh," was Bulkhead's reply.

He tried to remain still. Hanging from the olive green collar around his neck was a small sterling silver star shaped identification tag. Bulkhead flinched, causing the tag to slightly rattle.

Optimus sniffed the air and looked around. His stainless steel Auto-dog tag reflected in the moon light.

Bulkhead gulped.

"I think I saw something move," he said quietly and pointed his left paw towards the opposite end of the yard.

"Wait here," said Optimus.

He took a few steps forward and barked loudly. The next thing he and Bulkhead heard was a bark; however this one seemed to have a slightly higher pitch. At that moment, Optimus and Bulkhead relaxed.

"It's just another dog." Said Optimus.

"Oh, good." Bulkhead sighed.

Just then he thought of something.

"Wait, what if it's a Decepticon?"

Optimus looked at Bulkhead then in the direction where the bark came from.

"Show yourselves!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, what he said." Bulkhead added, stepping forward.

Moments later, a large dog stepped out of one of the box cars and walked up to Optimus and Bulkhead. It was a female St. Bernard.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"N-nothing Ma'am, just passin' though." Bulkhead stuttered.

"Passing through? What y'all are doing is trespassing, now if you would be so kind and leave…." The other dog was cut off.

"Lady please, we aren't trespassing, honest!" Bulkhead insisted.

"It's true, Miss." Said Optimus.

The female dog looked at the two of them suspiciously before she sat down.

"All right, I'll take your word for it." She replied.

"Are there, uh… more of you here?" Bulkhead asked, tilting his head.

"Just my pack," the St. Bernard replied.

"Where is your leader?" Optimus asked.

"She's around here somewhere, don't know where but…" just then a voice rang out.

"Gemma, what's going on here?"

A female Dalmatian walked up to the three dogs simply stared at her, obviously surprised. The spotted dog glanced at Optimus and Bulkhead before she started to circle them, sniffing as she walked.

"Uh, Op… she's circling around us." Bulkhead said through his now tightly clenched teeth.

"I know, I know." Optimus replied quietly, trying not to make any sudden moves.

The Dalmatian stopped and stepped back.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Optimus Prime and this is Bulkhead." The Tibetan Mastiff answered.

"Hi there," Bulkhead greeted the other dogs, grinning sheepishly.

"I'm Firethorn, you've already met Gemma." The female Dalmatian replied.

"Uh, yeah she said she was in a pack. Where are the rest of you?" Bulkhead continued.

Firethorn looked away for a moment.

"Kai, Reese get out here!" she called.

The sound of running footsteps could be heard coming from the opposite end of the train yard. Moments later, a Flat coated Retriever and German shepherd stopped and stood next to Firethorn.

"You called?" Kai, the retriever replied. She then noticed Optimus and Bulkhead.

"Uh, who are they?" she asked.

"Optimus Prime and Bulkhead," Firethorn answered.

"Oh, I'm Kailani." The retriever announced.

"And I'm Reese," said the female German shepherd.

Bulkhead sat back, as well as Optimus and the others.

"So, what are you ladies doing here?" he asked.

"We live here," Firethorn answered.

Optimus frowned.

"Just the four of you?"

"That's not much of a pack." Bulkhead pointed out.

"No, but we look out for each other," said Gemma.

"And you've been here for how long?" Optimus asked.

"About a year, Reese is new." Gemma answered.

"I joined Firethorn's pack after my human left the city." Reese explained.

Bulkhead looked over at Firethorn, Kailani and Gemma.

"Where are your humans?"

"We haven't got any," was Firethorn's reply.

"So you're strays," Bulkhead concluded.

"Yes," said Firethorn.

"Except me, some human found me and I lived with her for eight months. Then she got a new job and… her boss decided to put me in early retirement. I would've been sent to a farm in Wichita if I hadn't escaped, my owner brought me here thinking I'd be safe." Reese explained.

"I'm so sorry," said Bulkhead.

"So am I." Optimus admitted.

"She's the only one who knows where I came from." Said Reese.

"Which is?" Optimus asked.

"None of your business!" Firethorn growled.

"Firethorn, what's up with you?" Kailani asked.

"Nothin', we hardly know these guys. The dog catcher might be setting us up." Firethorn answered.

Bulkhead raised his right front paw.

"No way, the last thing we'd want is for you four to end up in the pound." He said.

"Bulkhead is right; we've avoided the dog catcher ourselves." Optimus added.

Bulkhead nodded.

"You can trust us," he assured Firethorn and the others.

"See?" said Kailani.

''Kay. Where you from?" Firethorn asked.

"Jasper, Nevada; ever heard of it?" Bulkhead replied.

"No, ever heard of Gilroy, California?" Firethorn continued.

Bulkhead blinked, looking at Firethorn with a rather blank stare.

"Nope," he said.

"Well, there you are." Firethorn replied.

"How come you wanna know?" Kailani asked.

"You… don't look like you're from around here." Bulkhead answered.

Firethorn, Kailani, Gemma and Reese looked at each other than at Bulkhead and Optimus.

"We're not," they said in unison.

"O…k, next question" Bulkhead replied, moving on.

"Spill," said Firethorn.

Bulkhead looked around, making sure no else was listening and that they were alone.

"Does Canis-Tron, ring a bell?"

Firethorn and the others froze.

"How'd you know?" Gemma asked.

"We are natives too, how…" Optimus stopped short.

"Long have you been here?" Bulkhead finished.

"About a year ago, my shuttle crashed in Puget Sound, I've been on my own ever since. Then I met Fire and Kai, they came here on a train from Palo Alto." Gemma explained.

"My shuttle stopped here too," Reese admitted. The day her owner found her was when her shuttle had landed in the pasture of a sheep farm just a few miles outside the city.

"How'd you two end up in Palo Alto?" Bulkhead asked.

"Our parents brought us here from Canis-Tron." Firethorn answered.

"We were pups at the time so, we don't remember our old home that much." Kailani said in a rather sad tone.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Optimus apologized.

"Now we're all alone, dodging trains and dog catchers from the city pound." Firethorn sighed.

"They've been after us for weeks," Gemma confessed.

"That's awful," said Bulkhead.

He glanced at the four females and noticed they were rather slim for dogs of their age. Their fur also looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks or washed with shampoo and water. Overall, Firethorn and her pack had a scruffy looking appearance.

"It ain't easy, I'll tell you that. Especially when you have leftovers from the Pumphouse for three nights in a row." Said Gemma.

Bulkhead raised an eyebrow.

"You, get your meals from the dumpster behind a restaurant?"

He thought about what Gemma just said and it explained why she and the others were underweight. They mostly ate whatever humans had thrown out and possibly had to deal with other strays while finding food and water.

"Hey, we don't have owners to care for us." Kailani pointed out.

"We get by just fine. We don't need some human to leave us in some old house." Firethorn insisted.

She tilted her head, looking at the other two dogs curiously.

"You have humans?" Firethorn asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Her name's Miko, she's really nice… keeps me on my toes but to honest, when we met that was one of the best days of my life." said Bulkhead. His tail wagged slightly when he thought about Miko.

"Uh-huh," Firethorn said in a dull tone.

Why any dog would want to be stuck in a house living with people was beyond her.

"So, where are you off to?" she asked.

"We were heading home." Optimus replied.

"Yeah, we just took a short cut through here," Bulkhead added.

"Is that so?" Gemma asked.

"Exit's over there," said Firethorn, who pointed her left front paw towards the western side of the train yard.

"Uh, thanks." Bulkhead said with a grin.

"Let's get one thing straight, you have no other place to go?" Optimus asked.

"No," the four females replied at the same time.

"This is all we got," said Gemma.

"I see… you are more than welcome to come with us." Optimus offered.

Kailani's eyes bucked.

"For real?"

"Now hold it, sister." Said Firethorn, holding up her left front paw.

Bulkhead raised an eyebrow.

"Sister? You don't look like a Dalmatian." He pointed out, regarding Kailani's appearance.

"We grew up together, so I consider Kai my sister." Firethorn explained.

"We're not related," Kailani added.

"I see," was Bulkhead's reply.

"If you do not accept our offer, we understand." Said Optimus.

Gemma, Kailani and Reese looked at each other.

"Well…" all three started to say.

"Ladies. conference, right now." Said Firethorn.

"Excuse us,"

Firethorn and the other four walked over to the other end of the yard, just out of earshot range.

"You sure this is a good idea, Op?" Bulkhead asked, looking over at the black and tan Tibetan Mastiff.

"Bulkhead, you saw what they look like. Jasper would be better than staying here, at least until they can find another place to live." Optimus answered.

Bulkhead sighed and lowered his head.

"Yeah, I guess it beats living in a box car."

Meanwhile, Firethorn, Gemma, Reese and Kailani talked about what to do. While the offer of free room and board plus free food seemed tempting, Firethorn was skeptical about it. She sat down on the floor of the box car, looking over at the other three dogs sitting across from her.

"I don't know about this," she admitted.

"Me either," said Kailani.

"All I can say from personal experience that a house beats sleeping in this shack." Reese confessed.

"Hey, that shack is better than nothing when it's raining." Firethorn said to her, hackles raised.

"Firethorn, come 'on we've been here for a year. We got no other options." Said Gemma.

"What do you think?" Firethorn asked, looking over at her sister.

"If it's better than this, I'm up for it." said Kai.

Firethorn tilted her head.

"Reese?" she asked.

The female German shepherd stopped scratching her ear. For a while it had been bothering her due to the fleas in her thick fur.

"I already told you how I feel about living in a house." She answered.

"Gemma?" Firethorn asked, looking over at the St. Bernard.

"Well, if we stay here somebody from the pound is gonna catch us eventually," she replied.

"Besides, we can always leave."

"True," Firethorn agreed.

She looked at the trio and sighed.

"All right," she said and got up.

Walking back over to Optimus and Bulkhead, the four of them looked at the two males. Firethorn stepped forward.

"We accept your offer," she announced.

The two canines smiled.

"Great, c'mon." said Bulkhead who stood up and started walking towards the west end of the train yard. Firethorn and the others followed, keeping a short distance between themselves and the male dogs.

"I'm not sure about this," Firethorn said nervously.

"Neither am I," Kailani admitted, walking alongside her sister.

"Relax ladies, there's nothing to worry about," Bulkhead assured them.

Just then they stopped in their tracks when they saw a bright light shining in their faces. Bulkhead quickly recognized it. Not far from them was an animal control handler from the ASPCA.

"Except for that, run for it!" Bulkhead barked.

Within a few seconds, they all took off running, heading towards the exit. One thing was for sure, they were determined not to get caught tonight.

**MORE TO COME…**

**And that's it chapter two.**

**Sorry for the wait, it's been a busy month for me. Anyway, just to clear things up some quotes and such used in this chapter are from the following: Balto 3: Wings of Change, Beethoven's 3****rd****, Pound Puppies episodes: 'The General' 'Hot Dawg' and 'No Dogs Allowed'. Home ward Bound: The Incredible Journey, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Bambi, American Tail: Fievel goes West, Kim Possible episode: 'Sink or Swim', Party Wagon, Marmaduke (The movie) and Are We Done Yet?**

**Also, Benson and Mr. French are two butlers from sitcoms titled 'Benson' and 'Family Affair' which aired on ABC and CBS in the 1970s and 80s. Puget Sound is an area in Seattle; it's a well-known spot for seeing Killer Whales. Gilroy is a small town outside San Francisco in California. The town is known for growing garlic. Palo Alto is also near San Francisco, it's the location of Stanford University. I've been to that town twice, it's really nice sort of like Orange County. **

**As for the characters names, Firethorn is actually a bush. The bright red berries that grow on it are semi-poisonous to humans though if handled properly, it has been made into jelly that's edible. The name Kailani has Polynesian and Hawaiian roots, translated it means: 'Sea and Sky'. Gemma is an Italian name, translation: 'Precious Stone' and Reese is a Welsh name, translated it means: 'Running'.**

**Canis is also the scientific name and genus for the dog family. This includes domestic canine breeds, wolves, dingos, coyotes, jackals and several others who are sadly extinct. Canis also means 'Dog' in Latin. While Foxes, African wild dogs and other canines are in the dog family, none of them are in the Canis category.**

**I often try to picture what my characters would sound like if they were in an animated series, so here's some info about the actresses who I had in mind for Firethorn and her group.**

**Janet Jackson is the sister of the late, Michael Jackson. She has recorded and released her own songs. In addition to music, she's done acting, one of her well known roles is Penny on the 1970s sitcom 'Good Times'. **

**Octavia Spencer is an Academy Award winning actress, who played Minny in the movie adaptation of the best-selling book, 'The Help'.**

**Golden Brooks is another actress; her most notable role is Maya on the sitcom 'Girlfriends'.**

**Katey Sagal has done voice work in animation including the 2010 remake of Pound Puppies and Pat in the 1998 Disney Channel movie, Smart House.**

**Also, The Pumphouse is a real resteruant in Seattle, or more specifically Bellevue. I had a burger and fries from there when I visited Seattle three years ago which was really good. Aside from the rain, I love that city.**

**For those unfamiliar with some of the breeds in this story, here's something to clear that up. Flat Coated Retrievers are a breed from the U.K. like most dogs in the Retriever family they were originally used to go after ducks. They love water and come in three colors, Black, Liver and Yellow though two out of the three aren't included in the Breed's Kennel Club standard. **

**They have a cheerful personality and are protective of their owners and property. They also have an excellent sense of smell.**

**German shepherds can come in a variety of colors including cream and liver.**

**Alaskan Malamutes are one of the oldest dog breeds alive today. Originally owned by Native Americans, these dogs have more muscle, are slower than their husky cousins and are capable of pulling heavy loads. Depending on a dog's build and training, males can pull between 1,000 to 3,000 lbs. They are intelligent, independent, have a fondness for people and are resourceful.**

**There are documented cases of long haired Dalmatians which shed less than their short haired cousins; however the variety isn't accepted by the American Kennel Club. **

**Anyway… I would've added more to this chapter but ended up having to move it to the next one due to length. Things start getting more interesting , anyway with my sister visiting from out of town this weekend, I probably won't post chapter 3 until sometime in early September. Also, keep an eye out for my upcoming short stories 'Remember that Day?' 'The Parenthood Trap' and 'The Two of Us' which is a collaboration between me and my beta reader Bee4ever.**

**Also, for those who have a deviantart account and would like to draw my characters or a scene from this or my upcoming stories, please send me a message. I'm also open to questions and suggestions related to this story and the others listed here.**

**Aside from that…**

**Stay tuned!**


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